Why Does Exterior Paint Peel and How to Fix It

Paint on exterior surfaces will eventually peel over time due to a variety of factors. Here are some of the most common reasons:

1. Moisture: The most common reason is moisture, as wood or other materials will soak water behind the paint (this happens commonly in the lower parts of the house where water or snow sits for extended periods of time). This causes the paint to lose adhesion and eventually peel.
2. Sunlight (UV): Exposure to sunlight will eventually break down the paint, causing it to become brittle and peel (how long it takes for this to happen depends on the quality of the paint. Typically, higher quality paint will be able to withstand the sun a little bit better
3. Temperature Fluctuations: House materials like Hardie siding, wood, and stucco will expand and contract depending on the temperature. Paint will also do the same thing, but eventually, it won't be able to keep up.
4. Poor Surface Preparation: All of the other reasons will take a long time before you start to see some issues, but if the previous people did not remove any peeling paint or clean the surface, or if no primer was applied to the bare wood, the paint will start peeling quickly.
5. Wrong Type of Paint: There are multiple types of paints that can be used for different types of surfaces, but the biggest mistake is using interior paint for an exterior project. Interior paint is typically cheaper than exterior paint, but it is also not made to withstand the conditions that the exterior will have. Always check or ask a store representative what products they recommend for your project.
6. Age: Eventually, even the best-quality paint will eventually degrade and will give out.

Now that you know the main causes of peeling paint on an exterior, here is a step-by-step guide on how to properly prepare those areas for painting.

1. Cleaning the Surface: Before you start any other prep work the area needs to be clean. In most cases, power washing will do the trick, but if you happen to have mold, chemicals will need to be used before.
2. Scraping and Removing the Peeling Paint: Remove all of the loose paint with a putty knive (you don’t need to apply a lot of force to it, just enough so that the loose paint will come off and there won’t be loose edges)
3. Repair Damaged Areas: If there are any holes or cracks, you can use caulking or wood filler to repair the area
4. Sanding: Lightly sand the area and the edges of the old paint, this is to ensure that the primer and the new paint will stick well. (there is no need to sand too hard. We are only trying to scuff the surface)
5. Protect Surrounding Areas: Mask With Tape the surrounding areas that you don’t want to get painted.
6. Apply a Primer: Use a primer for any bare areas, and use the specific primer for each specific material (wood primer for wood, concrete primer for Hardie siding, etc…) one of our favorite primers to use for spot priming on old houses where stains will show trough is a shellac-based primer, this can only be used for spot priming and not big areas
7. Painting: Paint the areas that you prepped and clean and the end.

After all of this is done, those areas will be taken care of and ready to withstand the weather and exterior conditions again, making your house last longer and preventing bigger issues from happening. Take a look at some of our other blogs if you want to learn a little bit about how our exterior painters handle painting projects to ensure longevity in every house.